Tough decision! I can relate to the high cost of ic's as well, but in my case I have Levinson 33H monos so I placed them near the speakers. Fortunately I found a 35' pair of Transparent Ultra XLR here on Audiogon for the right price.
Having no buyer's remorse and the system is sounding fine, fine, fine!
Paul
Having no buyer's remorse and the system is sounding fine, fine, fine!
Paul